Vlogger in the North
by havelegswilltravel
Summary: Arya didn't know what to expect when starting high school, but this was definitely not it. Stubborn class politics, stupid and boring classes, insane teachers. To cope, she started a Youtube channel with her brothers and their friends in the hope that maybe she could get something out of the next four years. Things get weird. NYC based modern Youtuber AU. Detailed summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Su**per important author notes here regarding ages and grades in school:  
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Oldstones High School:  
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Freshmen: Arya Stark, Myrcella Baratheon, Shireen Baratheon, Edric Stone, Lyanna Mormont, Trystane Martell, Elia Sand  
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Juniors: Sansa Stark, Gendry Waters, Margaery Tyrell  
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Seniors: Joffrey Baratheon, Meera Reed  
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Citadel University:  
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Freshmen: Daenerys Targaryen, Quentyn Martell  
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Sophomores: Jon Stark, Robb Stark, Theon Greyjoy, Mya Stone, Loras Tyrell, Sarella Sand  
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Martin Middle School:  
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6th Grade: Tommen Baratheon  
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7th Grade: Bran Stark, Jojen Reed, Obella Sand  
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Misc:  
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1st Grade: Loreza Sand  
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3rd Grade: Rickon Stark, Dorea Sand  
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5th Grade: Robert Arryn  
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Postgrad: Arianne Martell (23), Garlan Tyrell (24), Willas Tyrell (28), Obara Sand (30), Nymeria Sand (25), Tyene Sand (23)**

Other notes: Robb and Jon are twins, Shireen is other Baratheons' cousin, Edric and Mya are siblings.

Chapter 1- In which Arya gets inspired

Sansa

The late summer wind ruffled her hair as Sansa stood at the edge of the balcony. She shivered slightly and pulled the cardigan around her gently. Once the sun properly rose it would be much, much warmer. Maybe she could go to the beach and-

"Sansa!"

-the beach and sunbathe with Jeyne and Beth, get a final tan in-

"Saansaaaa!" Sansa cringed and turned to the sliding door. Arya was in their shared bedroom, digging through her personal closet and flinging clothes on the floor. A rogue shirt nearly hit Arya's husky Nymeria. Sansa winced.

"Yes, I'm here. Outside." Arya half turned and squinted. "What is it?"

"Did you take my denim jumpsuit?" Sansa rolled her eyes.

"I have no reason to steal your clothes. One, I'm six inches taller than you. Two, you dress like Rickon." She rested her hand on the side of the sliding door. "Though I do hate your jumpsuits. Maybe I should burn them."

"I think lé fuck not." Sansa smirked.

Little siblings were always so annoying. Weirdly enough, her younger brothers weren't so bad. They pestered Robb more anyway. But Arya seemed more pissy than often. It was in the way she flung her clothes, how she growled when something got tangled on the hanger, how she nearly slammed the jumpsuit on the floor upon finding it. Mother would say something about sitting her sister down and talking to her, and though they had plans with their brothers and Theon she figured she might as well.

"Hey Arya-"

"Yeah?" Arya began awkwardly kicking her clothes back in the closet. Sansa's dog Lady padded inside and walked up to Sansa, who finally walked inside and closed the sliding door. She sat on her lower bunk and scratched her dog's ears.

"Everything okay?"

"Sure. Everything's hunky-dory. Hey, if I go outside like this will Ma throw a fit?"

"Let's see," Sansa said, pretending to make an inquisitive face. Arya was wearing pajamas with cows on them. "Yes. And either way, I need to do my makeup."

"Dammit!"

LINEBREAK

Robb's van was old and clunky, but at least it was a cheap wheelchair accessible car. Two seats in the front, three in the back with room for Bran's wheelchair. This worked out well when it was just them six, but Theon made things hard. This often resulted in Arya and Rickon being squished by the windows, Sansa and Jon being squished in the middle, and Theon getting the legroom and space in the front because he was, to quote, "too thick" to sit in the back. Sansa sighed and attempted to look out the window over Arya's head. Maybe she wouldn't have time to go to the beach.

"Brooklyn traffic is the worst," Robb mumbled as the car in front of them stopped for no reason for the fiftieth time. "Come on. I want my overpriced breakfast."

"It was your idea to go to that diner by the Bridge instead of the one three blocks away from our house," Bran sassed.

"Well I don't know what they put in their sausage, but it isn't pork..." The two trailed off into a heated discussion over suspicious breakfast meats and what part of the human body they came from, with Theon interrupting every so often with one of the more crude areas. Jon was texting someone but kept his phone hidden under his jacket. Who was so important that Jon couldn't reveal their identity? It couldn't have been Sam or Pyp or Grenn or Edd, she knew them too well.

Arya was lost in thought. Usually she would join the sausage conversation but after her mini tantrum with the jumpsuit she was silent. It unsettled Sansa. She was the shyer and quieter one, while Arya was loud and extroverted and always had something to say. Sansa poked her thigh. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'd rather have five hundred dollars."

"Still. What's going on? You're never this sullen."

Arya shrugged. "It's school. Like always, but more disappointing." Sansa wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "Like, I expected elementary and middle school to suck, but TV almost made high school look fun? I'm supposed to be part of a squad and have cool hair and baller shoes and have the time of my life. My first day there Myrcella-your precious Jeff's sister-spilled paint on me and laughed. And I still look shmugly."

"So that's where the paint came from." Arya came home on the first day of school with dark red paint all over her left side. She has art first period, too. "And you're not shmugly. And you'll enjoy high school, just like I did."

"I'm not you, Sansa." Arya turned back to the window. Sansa sighed and leaned back a bit, staring at the car mirror ahead. A line was forming behind them.

LINEBREAK

Because it was so nice out the group decided to laze around by the tiny boardwalk and park right underneath Brooklyn Bridge. Rickon ran to the carousel with Robb and Bran while Theon and Jon walked off to talk about something. Convenient. Sansa joined Arya in sitting on the lawn and stretched her legs in front of her.

"I'm sorry I snapped earlier," Arya mumbled.

"It's okay. You're scared." Arya cocked her head. "When I started school I decided to join the cooking club because I wasn't close with anyone. That's how I became better friends with Beth and Jeyne. Join a club or a sport, that could help."

"I'm only interested in fencing, and they cancelled the club two years ago." Sansa remembered the incident. Robb had stupid friends. "Although...what if I make a Youtube channel?"

That was not the direction Sansa thought this would go. "Why...?"

"That counts as popularity to a degree. And I have something to do during breaks and after school. And weekends too. Ooh, I can get the dips to help."

"Please don't ask out brothers-"

"ROBB!" Arya screamed across the lawn to Robb, who was watching the carousel. "CAN YOU HELP ME MAKE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?"

"Kay," Robb yelled back. Sansa saw her younger brothers' mouths move. "Bran and Rickon wanna help."

"LIT! ONE SEC, GOTTA GET JON AND THEON!" Not both of them. Sansa opened her mouth to protest but Arya already got up and Naruto ran to them. At least she was going back to normal. Sansa sighed.

She knew she should've gone to the beach instead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter notes: I really hope the line breaks work this time because with chapter 1 it didn't upload as a space or as a barrier so it was all one block of text.**

Chapter 2- In which Arya and the dips go on an adventure

Arya

"My name's Bran and welcome to Jackass," Bran chirped into the camera.

"No." Jon shook his head mockingly. "No cursing. And no stupid stunts."

"So where we going?" Arya bit into an apple as Jon swung the camera on her. She had her hoodie pulled over her head and her legs crossed. Not entirely camera ready, but the audience would survive.

"The Wall." Arya knew where The Wall was. It was a literal wall next to where Jon and his friends worked in Home Depot. The Wall was a tall stone wall that was once used as either foundation or a barrier but was now crumbled. It was once painted blue, but the paint somehow faded so it looked like a wall of shiny, silvery blue ice. It was a really cool place to take pictures during the day, and during the night groups of stoners and drunks liked to hang out there. Robb and his car were bringing them and Theon to The Wall so Arya could vlog and take pictures.

"Sounds fun. Can we get Starbucks?"

LINEBREAK

Vlogging was boring.

They got Starbucks and Arya was able to begin the vlog and introduce everyone in the car, but after she was stuck. They pulled up in the half empty lot and Arya made a game of pushing a shopping cart and trying to jump inside until she fell over.

"You good?" Sam asked from the store entrance.

"I'm fi-I''m fine," Arya laughed, sitting up. There were going to be huge bruises on her legs and arms. A long scratch on the side of her arm was bleeding. "Jon, please tell me you filmed that." He gave a thumbs up before going to the entrance to work. Sam asked him something and he laughed.

"I brought you a flannel," Robb said, handing her a black and white one. "I brought bandaids too."

"Thank you, dip."

Bran took pictures of her sitting cross legged or reclined on one side. Theon and Robb loitered and joked with each other while pretending not to loiter if any workers came outside. Arya looked over the pictures when they were done, sending the best ones to her phone. Gray wall, gray eyes, grayish clothes. Gray personality? She hoped not. Youtubers were BIG on personality, even if they were small. Arya hoped a vlog of her, her brothers, and Theon wouldn't be dull.

"Okay, my ass is sore," she announced, stretching and pocketing her phone before handing Bran his phone back. "Where to next?"

LINEBREAK

Theon's Jeep was older and clunkier than even Robb's car, with peeling paint and the constant smell of mold. He called it the Sea Bitch. Why he insisted on sea and not land or road was beyond Arya's comprehension.

They dropped off Robb's car and Bran at home, as Rickon still needed to be watched. Sansa decided to go to the beach with her friends, which sucked a little but whatever. Sansa made it clear the night before she didn't want to get involved.

Once everyone and everything was back home Theon sped off in Sea Bitch. Arya had to grab onto the edge of the seat for dear life with one hand while recording with the other. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"An adventure," he called back.

The "adventure" was a speeding-literally speeding, as Theon drove like a man desperately needing to pee-trip around Prospect Park with the windows down, resulting in a crossing guard by Martin Middle School threatening to call the cops on them. No cops came. The joyride ended shorty after when Theon realized he needed gas. Afterward they decided to head home.

"This vlog's gonna be shit," Arya said cheerily as she slipped out the Sea Bitch. Her legs felt like Jello.

"You got some stuff," Robb said. "With the drive through and the shopping cart and the speeding. Pictures, too. Maybe each year you can retake them as a little anniversary thing."

"Today's the...what, the eighth?"

"Yeah." Robb grinned. "You can retake these pictures during the first Sunday of September. Or the second, whatever you want."

"Or at random," Theon added. "Keep em on your toes. You gonna upload it now?"

The front door opened to reveal Ned and Catelyn, both ushering the teens inside. As if on cue, Arya's arms prickled where she got scratched. She tightened the flannel. Today would not end well.

LINEBREAK

Her parents didn't notice her scratches or the bright purple bruises on her arms, thankfully. Dinner was uneventful with Robb discussing some of his new science classes, Jon complaining about an annoying customer, and Rickon nearly choking after attempting to stuff an entire potato in his mouth. Arya attempted to talk about her Youtube channel but kept getting the "not right now, kiddo" treatment. Mostly from her mom. Catelyn favored Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon and it was pretty damn noticeable. At least her dad Ned favored her and Jon. And Sansa, of course. He listened to Arya's ideas while their many, many huskies gathered around and attempted to beg for food.

There was nothing Arya wanted to do more than edit her video after dinner, but Sansa took her headphones and insisted they do homework. No one ever got homework after the first couple days of school but Sansa persisted, even though she was chatting with her friends on Messenger the whole time.

The second Sansa went to sleep Arya really got to work. If she sat on her top bunk she would be comfier, but if she sat on the floor she could pet Nymeria. The latter was preferable. Arya clumsily edited the clips together into one video before posting.

"And it will be titled 'nyoom'." She scratched Nymeria's head one last time. It was late and she had to get up early the next day. School was going to suck, but hopefully the video wouldn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter notes: In this AU Lyanna and Jorah live together and Lyanna goes to Oldstones on a partial scholarship. If you guys ever read _The Raven Boys _her situation is a bit similar to Adam's.  
****In addition, all the chapters that don't begin with Arya and instead begin with another character's name are focused on them instead of Arya. The next chapter will be one like that (featuring Robb).**

Chapter 3- In which Arya becomes famous

Lyanna

Lyanna struggled to keep her eyes open as her history teacher droned on. History never felt that boring the year before. That was a lie, of course. No matter how many colorful diagrams and pictures they were showed of ancient civilizations, Lyanna couldn't be bothered to care.

It felt like the teacher couldn't be bothered either.

The two kids behind her looked like they were struggling too. If Lyanna angered her phone the right way she could make the two out. The boy Edric stayed on his phone the whole time, either texting someone or playing Fortnight. The girl Arya either fell asleep or doodled something in the inner lining of her binder. What it was, Lyanna wasn't sure.

The teacher continued on about Ancient Greece, which would've been interesting if Lyanna hadn't heard it a thousand times already. In history freshman learned the beginnings of world history, sophomores learned world history in the last two centuries, juniors learned American history up to the Civil war, and seniors learned the rest. All things they covered in middle school.

Lyanna's uncle always told her to pay attention in class, even the boring ones, but she just couldn't do it. She went on Youtube, hoping to save a couple videos to watch later. She did not expect to see Arya in a video, vlogging with a couple older looking boys.

Lyanna quickly checked her channel. There were only three videos listed: the vlog of Arya and the boys speeding around in a ratty looking Jeep, a vlog of Arya chatting while walking a massive husky apparently named Nymeria, and a "get ready with me" that was six minutes long and had Arya struggling with a messy bun in the title card. Lyanna couldn't help herself at the thought and let out a soft snicker.

"Lyanna? Do you know who the god of crafting and fire is?" Her teacher glared down a pointed nose and Lyanna balked. She had no idea.

"Hephaestus," Arya whispered from behind her.

"Heph-hephaestus?" Lyanna asked. The teacher nodded and continued teaching. Lyanna sighed in relief.

LINEBREAK

"Hey, Arya!" Lyanna called once class was over, hoping to catch Arya before she went to her next class. Arya was most likely daydreaming, since Lyanna was three feet away and she barely moved. "Arya!" That got her attention.

"Oh, hey...Lyanna." Lyanna nodded. "Uh, what's up?"

"Do you have a couple free minutes to talk?" Arya looked confused but half shrugged, slinging her bag over one shoulder and following Lyanna outside. The halls were filled with screaming teenagers, all trying either to get to class or avoid getting to class. The duo most likely fell in the latter group. "Thanks for helping me with the Hephaestus question. Also I found your Youtube channel, by the way."

_That_ got Arya's attention. She went from barely paying attention to sharply perking up. "You did?" A grin began to spread.

"Yeah. I found it in class." Lyanna was a stoic girl, but Arya's grin was infectious. "It looks pretty cool."

"Are you free after school?" Arya suddenly burst. "I mean, if you aren't it's fine."

"No, I can hang for a bit," Lyanna answered before stopping at her class. "I'm by my class. I'll see you by the turf, maybe?"

"Yeah, of course." Arya was still beaming as she turned and scampered off. Lyanna smirked as she walked inside and grabbed her phone to text her uncle.

LINEBREAK

Arya was already on the turf when Lyanna went to meet her after school. She sat with her hoodie spread underneath her like a blanket and her bag in her lap. As Lyanna walked over to her she saw a group of upperclassmen on the bleachers, talking and laughing. The boy was tall and blond and wore a collared shirt over shorts, like some kind of fuckboy. Maybe it was the backward gold cap, maybe it was the face. The girl to his right was gorgeous and has a somewhat smirking smile, while the girl on his left had a shock of red hair and looked on shyly. Two other girls sat behind Red, looking lost. Lyanna shook her head and went to Arya. She didn't trust that group.

"Hi," Arya called cheerfully. Lyanna sat with her legs crossed. "Don't worry about them. That's just my sister and her friends."

"That's your sister?" Lyanna looked at the smirking girl. Though the group was a good distance away Lyanna could tell she was tall and slender and had curly brown hair. Arya was short and dumpy and had limp hair with several obvious tangles. No way they could be related. Almost as though she read her mind, Arya jerked her head at Red. Oh goodness. She looked even less like Arya.

"So, y'saw my channel," Arya began. "I honestly thought only my siblings would've known about it. Now, at least, since it's only got three videos."

"I guess I got lucky," Lyanna said, shrugging. "You already have almost fifty subscribers."

"Really?" Lyanna nodded and took her phone out, showing Arya the home page. Sure enough, there were forty nine people subscribed. "Woah. I'm almost famous."

Lyanna clicked the subscribe button, taking it to an even fifty. "Now you are."

Arya beamed and looked over at the group, smile fading slightly. "All my siblings are helpful with my channel but Sansa. I wish she could at least pretend to take part in my hobbies like I do with hers. She gossiped about Joffrey and Margaery and Jeyne and Beth so much I know them better than they do, but every time I asked if she wanted to come film with us she brushed me off."

Lyanna ran her thumb over the back of her hand, accidentally smudging the thinnest coat of dirt on it. "If you want a friend to help you with your videos I'm down. I usually help my uncle out at work on Saturdays but aside from than I'm free."

"Really?" Lyanna nodded and Arya positively beamed. "I'd like that."

LINEBREAK

"Lyanna, I'm home," Jorah called few hours later. Lyanna looked up from the kitchen table where her stuff was laid out, as well as dinner. Jorah had to work a lot now to cover her partial scholarship, a fact he  
never held above her head. Despite this, she insisted on making dinner whenever he came late. Which was often. "You made pasta?"

"Yeah, with chicken and tomato sauce, since we had." Her phone buzzed with a text from Arya, asking if she ever tried driving a forklift. Lyanna hadn't made any friends in Oldstones and she figured Arya was the same. It was nice to have a friend, even a strange and hyper one she just met. "I also have some iced tea in the fridge."

"Ah, thank you." The duo shared a quiet evening, Jorah watching the news while Lyanna worked on homework. It was almost peaceful. She was eager for whatever mischief Arya would bring.


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter was hard to write. Most of the Starks except Rickon and Robb have narrated chapters, and while I can easily get Rickon as a dank meme loving kid, Robb's personality is a bit harder. He doesn't exactly have a ton of battles to fight. I ended up going with him as a stressed pre-med student in a pharmacy because Robb's thing is he's initially impulsive and extroverted, but he's also very honorable which can go well with being on the track to medical school. Also, the Freys have a pharmacy because their shtick is they got rich from collecting money, which I feel like OG Walder can do with any business, and it needs to be medical so Robb interacts with them and large so hella Freys can work there too. Jeyne and her want to work a translating job, desire to get an apartment, and general chillness will impact Arya and her family in the future-wink wink, nudge nudge.**

Chapter 4- In which Robb is stressy

Robb

The professor droned on and on about physics, too Robb's annoyance. His major needed plenty of science classes and while he could see himself needing chemistry or biology, _physics_ felt almost totally useless. It was early too; most of his classes were either at eight in the morning or eight at night four days a week. He drank more coffee and stifled a yawn.

He had work a bit later, and was going to meet up with Theon for a late lunch early dinner thing. Both were bad and good in their own ways. Work meant dealing with his boss Mr. Frey and his many, many descendants that only had their jobs because of nepotism. It also meant he could see Jeyne, even it was just for a couple hours. Meeting with Theon meant he couldn't study or work on homework, but it also meant he could actually get a legit meal outside of school and see Theon for a bit.

His professor continued speaking monotonically way about how velocity final equalled velocity initial plus acceleration times time while pointing to a crude image of some kind of cart. Robb drained the rest of his coffee and frowned. Maybe he could convince Theon to buy him more.

LINEBREAK

"Stark! Westerling! Back to work!" Robb and Jeyne jumped slightly at Mr. Frey's shout. One of his thirteen sons, a man old enough to be Robb's grandfather, smirked as though he was a snotty four year old getting someone in trouble. Robb wondered if Mr. Frey was a snotty four year old.

Jeyne smiled slightly and continued stacking vitamins by Robb. She was only there for about a month but Robb hoped she would stay. The two were literally the only people in Frey Pharmacy without the surname Frey, and Robb decided that this one out of a hundred mini-Freys was pretty chill.

"How's your classes going?" Jeyne turned a bottle of vitamin D a couple times before placing it on the shelf. She was stalling, most likely. Whether it was so she could talk to Robb or so she could avoid cleaning the one bathroom was a mystery.

"Fine," Robb said. "Physics isn't too bad so far, but I heard the tests are horrible. And I'm trying to balance that with organic chemistry so in about a month I'm gonna be exhausted." Jeyne nodded and after checking over her shoulder walked over to Robb. "What about you?"

Jeyne laughed a bit, leaning her forearms on the desk. "I'm not in college, remember?" Oh. Right. Robb opened his mouth to rephrase the question but she interrupted him with a laugh. "I'm doing fine. Still trying to save up for an apartment, but I think in a couple years once I get one I'll probably quit and work with translating."

"Oh." Robb hadn't thought of who would leave first, even though he knew the non-Freys only worked there for a little before quitting out of stress. He hoped Jeyne wouldn't quit from stress before that. "So, did you look into any companies-"

"Westerling! Stark!" Dammit.

LINEBREAK

"Did you know," Theon began, awkwardly licking tzatziki off the side of his hand, "Roose tried to break into the greenhouse this morning?"

"No." The Boltons were a creepy, weird bunch. The family consisted of Roose the creepy maybe-sadist, Walda the actually pretty nice lady, and Ramsay the teenaged Fortnite addict. Their house was directly behind the Stark house and even though both had pretty big backyards for Brooklyn, Roose frequently tried to jump the fence to get into theirs. The running theory was that he was a vegan health nut-which was true-that couldn't grow anything to save his life-which was also true-and wanted to steal the veggies and fruits and herbs they grew in their teeny little greenhouse-ambiguously true. "How'd you catch him?"

"Oh, Cat did," Theon replied. "She saw him try to hop the fence and she was like 'What you doing' and he was like, 'Nothing' and went back to his side."

"Well now Mom's gonna worry that he or Ramsay will try to poison the dogs.""Eh. Ramsay's a creepy weirdo but he actually likes dogs. Roose doesn't." Robb shifted in his chair a bit and Theon took another bite, continuing with a full mouth. "I took archery before I came to live with you guys, remember? I even taught Bran and Rickon last summer."

Robb laughed. "I remember. You missed the target-not even the _bullseye_, the _target_-even though you were three feet away." Theon swallowed and joined him in snickering over it. It was a great moment, Theon attempting to string the suction cup tipped arrow and accidentally shooting it directly above, nearly knocking Robb in the head. It was only a few days after Theon moved from his family's home to the Starks', and the archery incident was the first time Robb and Theon began to bond.

"So how was work?" Theon's voice was still laughing but his eyes weren't as teasing as before. "How's that Jeyne girl?"

"Fine, I guess. Mr. Frey was on our asses all day." He rested his chin on his hands. "I bet if his daughter wasn't our neighbor I would've been fired already."

"Well that means since Walda keeps telling Frey good things about you, maybe he'll give you a raise before he kicks the bucket," Theon said hopefully. Robb kicked his ankle.

LINEBREAK

"I'm home," Robb called as he unlocked the front door and was assaulted by half a dozen huskies. Grey Wind shoved to the front and began licking his knee. "I'll take you on a walk soon, I promise."

"How was your day?" Ned asked. He and Catelyn were on one couch, Sansa and Jon were on the other, and Arya was on the loveseat deeply engrossed in her computer, most likely editing a video.

"Fine," Robb called. He dropped off his bag and grabbed Grey Wind's leash. "I'm extremely confused in physics, my job is both too boring and too hectic, and Theon told me about Roose."

"Sorry," Theon called from the kitchen.

"Robb, if you're stressed you can just talk to us," Catelyn began, but Robb half shrugged and clipped the leash on. Waving goodbye he stepped outside. He looked down at Grey Wind, who sat and looked up with his tongue lolling out.

"Lets go on a jog," Robb said. He and Grey Wind jogged off, not caring where their feet took them.


	5. Chapter 5

**I think with the fic every four chapters will be for a different month. Chapters 1-4 were for September, so we are now in October. Lots of autumn fluff and a little angst are coming soon.**

**And if this chapter sounds familiar, it's the same plot of chapter 16 of A Game of Thrones. Chapter 6 is a little bit of chapter 17 of AGoT though it has its own stuff as well. You'll meet a fan favorite everyone loves, as well as a fan favorite everyone hates to love. Both are connected.**

**Edit: Lmao I just realized I messed up part of Ned's speech. That's my bad, I was very tired.**

Chapter 5- In which Arya screws up mildly

Arya

"That doesn't look safe," Bran said warily. Arya rolled her eyes. Rickon was holding a large stick and swinging it around like a sword while Arya adjusted her camera in a branch and Nymeria nearly vibrated from excitement. The four were in Sweetsleep Park a block away from their house trying to film a Q&A but neither boy was cooperating.

"Bran, stop moping. Rickon, put that down," Arya replied. Both whined but ultimately agreed. Arya sat on a large boulder, Bran wheeled next to her, and Rickon slav squatted on her other side while staring into space. Nymeria sat by her feet. "Okay, we'll start now. Hi guys, I'm Arya and these are my brothers Bran and Rickon, and today we are making a Q&A. Rickon is disassociating right now and doesn't have a phone, so Bran can you ask the questions please?"

"Sure," Bran said. "Question one. What was the last movie you watched?"

"Hm. Oh, it was this documentary on the War of the Roses I saw last week because I was bored and saw everything on Netflix already. It's called 'Every Rose Has Thorns' or something."

"How many pets do you have?" Nymeria stood up and wandered off to the side, sniffing as though someone was coming.

"Oh, just one technically. We adopted a puppy per kid so six, but I'm in charge of Nymeria only, if only she could come back here," Arya called. Nymeria's ears twitched but she didn't move. Her body went stiff. "Okay, Nym's also zoning out, lets-"

"Arya?" The three siblings turned to see Sansa walk up with Joffrey. Sansa was glowing and Joffrey looked like someone smeared shit under his nose, which meant they wanted a private date but weren't expecting to see any other Stark kids. "What're you guys doing?"

"We were just leaving," Arya replied. Like Nymeria she had a bad feeling that left her flesh feeling hard. "Bran, get a head start." Bran opened his mouth but Arya's glare must've been frightening enough to shut him up. As he wheeled by the couple Arya noticed Joffrey held a small pocketknife. "Whatcha got there," she asked quietly.

"Oh, Joffrey wanted to carve out initials into a tree," Sansa chirped. "Right?" From the corner of her eye Arya saw Rickon brandishing a thin branch and before she could stop him he began circling Joffrey, smacking his thighs with the stick.

After a couple circles Joffrey slapped the stick out of Rickon's hand. Hd dropped to Rickon's height, angling himself so his back was to Arya and Rickon's back was to Sansa. "I would be very careful with that stick," he began in a quiet but angry voice. "They are very expensive, much more than you think. But I won't bully you much about it." Hidden from Sansa's view he lifted the tip of the pocketknife to Rickon's cheek until a bloody trickle ran.

Arya's blood boiled. Stupid fucking Joffrey, corrupting her sister, hurting her brother. She grabbed the larger stick and raised it over her head, prepared to strike. Sansa's blue eyes widened. "Arya, no!"

Arya swung it down on Joffrey's back, and in that moment Rickon scrambled off to wherever Bran was waiting, most likely at home. "Don't." A hit to the shoulder. "Touch." A hit to the knee. "My." A hit to the arm. "Brother." He rolled away from the last one and held up the pocketknife with a deranged snarl on his face. Arya backed up quickly, stick raised in defense-

And Nymeria ran from out of nowhere to bite Joffrey's arm. He dropped the pocketknife and fell to the ground.

"Nymeria! No!" Arya took her collar and yanked her back, looking up at Sansa in horror. Sansa was completely frozen the entire fight but now ran to her prince. Whatever. Arya picked up the pocketknife and almost threw it deep into the bushes before deciding to take it. It still had Rickon's blood smeared on the tip.

She turned, grabbed her camera, and ran to the house with Nymeria on her heels. Sansa didn't seem to notice-she was too busy babbling about Joffrey's injury. Joffrey glared at Sansa furiously.

LINEBREAK

"Arya, please come down," Jon pleaded from the base of the tree. The entire Stark household was in the backyard, gathered around the tree Arya was hiding in. She had been up there for almost an hour, shaking with fury and fear. Slowly, Arya lowered herself until she was able to drop to the ground. The pocketknife was still in her hand.

The second she touched down Ned placed his hands on her shoulders. Robb and Jon flanked him. "Arya. What happened?"

"I was in the park with Bran and Rickon and Nymeria, and Sansa and Joffrey came up to us, and Rickon was smacking Joffrey's legs with a stick so Joffrey threatened him and cut his face with this knife." She handed the pocketknife to Robb, who took it grimly. "And I just got so mad I started hitting him with a larger stick, but at one point I missed and he tried to attack me so Nymeria bit him." Poor Nymeria was curled up in a bush directly behind the tree, as frightened and ashamed as her owner.

"He stuck it deep, too," Rickon added. "Bran left before Joffrey attacked me, though."

Ned nodded, face blank in thought. Robb's was blank as well, but Jon and Bran looked worried, Theon and Rickon looked mad, Catelyn looked disappointed, and Sansa looked frightened as though she was the initial attacker. Because if Joffrey attacked her siblings Ned wouldn't want them to date anymore, Arya realized.

"Sansa," Ned called, turning slightly. Sansa froze like a stag in the headlights. "Is this true?"

Everyone turned to her. Sansa backed up a bit, eyes starting to shimmer from tears. Her shoulders began to shake a bit, though it was warm for an October evening. "I didn't see him cut Rickon," she said in the tiniest voice. "He must've cut his face on a rock or branch. Arya just started hitting Joffrey out of nowhere-"

"LIAR!" Arya sprung at her and was just barely held back by Jon. "You horrible, lying rat! You're the worst sister ever!"

"Arya!" Catelyn stepped in front of Sansa-always the favorite, even as a filthy liar-and crossed her arms. "We believe you, but insulting your sister isn't fair either."

"I refuse to apologize," Arya growled. "I have evidence right here," she added, pointing to the camera hanging around her neck. Sansa's face lost any hint of color it had previously.

"I can take care of it," Jon offered, and Arya sourly handed the camera over to him. She stalked toward the house, Nymeria slowly following her. Sansa held her arm out to stop her.

"Arya-"

"Don't talk to me. Ever," Arya snapped. She stepped inside with Nymeria and slammed the door.

LINEBREAK

Arya didn't bother coming down for dinner, but Ned broke his rule of not allowing any food upstairs and brought her some chicken and rice. He brought her camera and the pocketknife, too. "I was able to download the part of the video where Joffrey cuts Rickon, so if his parents ask we have evidence. Try to find a way to return the knife to the Baratheons. Not Joffrey, his dad. I think he will sympathize with you. Robert and your uncle Robert were my best friends when I was younger," he continued. Arya stared up at him sourly. "And you should talk to Sansa."

"No. I'll never talk to her for as long as I live."

"You shouldn't push your sibling away while angry. I know I regretted doing so with my older brother Brandon." Arya swallowed. Her dad never spoke about how he lost his father, older brother, and sister while in the army. "And even though you are right in how Joffrey attempted to attack you both, you still beat him with a heavy stick and gave your dog the chance to attack him, so you are grounded for the next week. But despite this punishment, and Joffrey's attack, and Sansa's anger, you should never go to bed angry. It will only hurt you and those close to you."

LINEBREAK

Sansa spent a lot of time crying on the balcony to several people on the phone. The longest call, where she was flat out sobbing and apologizing, was most likely to Joffrey. She didn't mention Ned wanting them to break up, Arya noted.

She also tried talking to Arya before bed, but Arya turned in her bed and ignored her. Once she was asleep Arya turned the flashlight on on her phone to look at the pocketknife. It had a deep red handle with a lion carved in the side, and the blade was so polished under the small smear of dried blood it looked gold. She closed it and placed it on the far side of her bed before falling asleep angry.

LINEBREAK

She ignored Sansa through breakfast and the train ride to school and during her classes when Sansa tried to apologize by justifying her behavior. Arya knew it well. She chose to side with her boyfriend that she only had for two months over her siblings.

She could almost feel the pocketknife through her bag.

At least she had a way of having a little fun with all this. She muted her phone and turned to the kid, Edric, next to her. "Hey," she whispered. He turned. "You saw the cast on Joffrey's arm? I did that."

He didn't need the cast, since Sansa told Catelyn that morning his arm wasn't broken or even bleeding that much. And she didn't technically cause it but her classmates didn't need to know. Edric was a good person to tell because he gossiped more in class than Sansa or her clique really did-they mostly gossiped among themselves. Edric could start a conversation with anyone, just like Arya.. He grinned and she could picture the wheels turning in his head. "You almost broke Joffrey Baratheon's arm," he whispered back. "Bad. Ass."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- In which Arya is grounded

Arya

Being grounded sucked.

Arya glared sourly out the kitchen window into the backyard, where the older three boys were playing basketball. Because of her grounding she couldn't hang out with Lyanna after class, she couldn't romp with her brothers, and she couldn't vlog. She couldn't even walk poor Nymeria-Robb walked her with Grey Wind, but not before placing a muzzle on her.

The Baratheons' reaction to her fight with Joffrey were mixed. Joffrey kept his distance but still sneered and called her psychotic. Myrcella and the younger one avoided her as well, though they never really interacted with her in the first place. Robert wasn't exactly happy with her, but he was much angrier with his son for attacking two younger children with a knife he then lost. Cersei was mad. Real mad. She screamed obscenities at Arya over the phone and in person, threatening to convince the principal to expel her, and when Arya kept a mostly cool face the whole time Cersei demanded Nymeria's head. When that failed she demanded Lady's. Robert dragged her out apologetically, Sansa said Arya should've had Nymeria taken to the pound, and Arya walked past as though she wasn't there.

Where was Sansa, anyway? Maybe with Joffrey trying to kiss his ass, she figured. She began to spend even more time with Joffrey and Margaery even though Ned told Sansa to stay away, and less time with Jeyne and Beth when they said the same.

Robb sunk another ball in the basket while Theon whooped and Jon clapped. At least someone was in better spirits.

Bran wheeled up to her and rested his chin in his hands. "Can I borrow you for a sec?"

"Don't see why not," Arya replied. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

After Bran's accident, the part of the dining room with the bathroom was turned into a mini bedroom for him, with just enough space outside the bedroom for the backyard to be accessed. It had a small bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and padded walls so his room stayed quiet even if they had a party in the dining room. It also meant he could hold a conversation and unless he screamed it would be nearly impossible to hear him from outside. Rickon sat cross legged on the bed with a family sized bag of potato chips. "Enter The Cave," he chirped.

"You're gonna get your grubby fingerprints everywhere," Arya replied, sitting next to him. Bran entered and locked the door behind him. "And Mom and Dad have rules against that."

"No rules in The Cave," Bran chirped, reaching somewhere inside the wardrobe and pulling out two more massive bags of chips. Arya decided not to ask where he got them. "Alright. Meeting time. I'm concerned about Sansa, because she hasn't dumped Joffrey for the knife thing."

"I don't care about Sansa's psycho boyfriend," Arya replied, looking over at Rickon. Big mistake. She remembered the bloody tear rolling as Joffrey smiled. If he got mad like that with Sansa, and if he had the knife...Arya swallowed thickly. "I still need to return the knife, but I'm not giving it to him."

"Well, even if you don't personally care it's still kinda bad," Rickon said. The cut hadn't properly healed on his cheek and Arya was torn between looking at it or looking at Bran's judgmental stare. "He could hurt her."

"It could be Stockholm syndrome," Bran added. "Look, you don't have to talk to her. Mom can do that. All I want is for you to keep your eyes peeled for them, see how Joffrey treats her and if we should talk to Dad. You're the only one of us that goes to school with her all day."

She _knew_ that. But Bran was right, annoyingly as ever. And if she got evidence that Joffrey was a douche-though that was common knowledge-she could get revenge on him for cutting Rickon and nearly stabbing her. "Fine. I'll keep my eyes peeled," she said after a moment. Arya stood with the bag of chips in her hand. "I'm keeping the chips, too."

LINEBREAK

"This is cool," Edric whispered as he held the pocketknife tentatively in his hand, hidden in the art room's shadows. Arya and Lyanna watched him curiously. "It's pretty heavy too."

"And a weapon," Lyanna added. "A weapon that could get you in trouble Arya."

Arya's phone lit up with a message from Sansa, asking to meet her by the front entrance. She sighed. "Knife, please. I have to go."

The two walked with her, going as slowly as possible. After school Lyanna usually helped around her uncle's apartment, and Edric's older sister Mya drove him. Arya got used to planning out videos or filming them, but now she was unable to do so. Only a couple more days until she could get back on track, though. They turned a corner, discussing their upcoming history paper which needed to be three pages long on some Roman stuff, when Arya saw a man that looked like he was a couple inches shorter than her near a classroom. If she remembered something Myrcella mentioned about one of her uncles, then this was Tyrion. She waved Lyanna and Edric away, then approached him.

"Hm-yes? Can I help you?"

"Hi," Arya began. Tyrion looked at her with an unamused face. "You're Joffrey's uncle, right?"

"Yeah." He grimaced.

"Well, I don't know if Robert talked to you about it, but...well, my sister Sansa's dating Joffrey, and then found me and my younger brother in a park, but my little brother annoyed him so Joffrey cut his face with a pocketknife, and then I started hitting him in defense so he tried to swing at me with it, and then my dog bit him so...Yeah. I wanted to return this," Arya concluded, handing Tyrion the knife.

Tyrion nodded slightly to himself, looking it over. "Little shit stole my knife somehow," he mumbled to himself, and then to Arya: "You're the Stark girl that almost maimed him."

"Yes?" Arya squeaked.

Tyrion placed the pocketknife in his jacket pocket and walked off inside the school. "Carry on," he replied over his shoulder. Arya breathed out in relief and walked toward the exit where Sansa stood. Like she did the past few days Arya brushed past her. She was able to fix one small part of this Joffrey mess, but now there was a new goal to focus on.


	7. Chapter 7

**So last chapter was a little filler thing bridging Joffrey's attack to the rest of the story. The next few chapters have some vlogs, a couple dramatic scenes, and a two-parter some time in the future as we go from fall (leaves! pumpkin spice lattes! days off!) to winter (skating! winter break! the crushing advancement of midterms!). Also, a couple more one-shot chapters not focusing on Arya...**

**Please review! I have things planned until the end of January, but suggestions are always welcome!**

Chapter 7- In which Arya becomes an urban legend

Sansa

"Joffrey, slow down," Margaery drawled in the back. Joffrey ignored her and drove on, leaning back casually into his seat. He drove with one arm, the other still in its sling from Nymeria's attack. He looked beautiful as ever in the glare of the sun, Sansa decided.

Some days he treated her warmly and kindly, making her laugh and smile. Others he walked by without giving her a second glance, and Sansa knew those were the days his arm hurt more. Margaery supported her wholeheartedly, cursing Arya with her and healing her aching heart by reminding Sansa it wasn't her fault, it wasn't Joffrey's, it was all the fault of Arya and Nymeria and Rickon. Jeyne and Beth...they weren't in the backseat with Margaery. Jeyne told her to dump Joffrey and apologize to her sister. Beth had more colorful language.

"I've known you since you were five," she said over the phone that night. "And I know that you like to support those close to you, which is awesome. But I swear on my left foot, if you keep that idiot that attacked your siblings out of nothing, then there is nothing I can do to help you when he turns worse. And he will. He'll ruin you for life. So either drop him, and stay with me and Jeyne and I guess Margaery, or keep him and dump us."

Sansa did not break up with her boyfriend. Her two closest now treated her as a ghost. At least she had Margaery.

The three got to school early to relax in the school parking lot, so that way they could avoid the crowds of students chatting in the hallway. Joffrey got out and walked to his trunk, polling it open and taking a bottle out. "We need these to survive this place," he commented to Margaery as he passed it to her, then a second to Sansa. The pale label read _Yuengling Light Lager_.

"Joffrey-" Sansa began.

"Ooh, you got the light kind this time," Margaery chirped as Joffrey took his own and used a bottle opener on his keys to crack them open, cradling the bottle in his maimed hand and popping the top clumsily with his good one. _This time?_ "Fewer calories but it works the same. You drank before, right Sansa?"

She did, a couple times with Jeyne and Beth and a bottle of raspberry Smirnoff in Beth's basement. "Well yeah, but-"

"Sansa, don't be lame," Joffrey sighed, taking a sip from his beer and opening Sansa's. She looked down at the yellow liquid. "Come on. You're killing our fun. It's just two beers, you won't get drunk." She winced and gulped it down. It tasted like urine smelled.

A group of freshmen walked past. One snickered, "Got your ass handed to you, didn't you Joff?" Joffrey tensed and marched up to the boy.

"Who," Joffrey hissed in the angry tone he used when Rickon attacked him, "Told. You. That."

"Elia," he squeaked.

Joffrey let the boy and his friend run off, then turned to Sansa. "You want to do me right," he said. Margaery sipped the beer, a curious look on her face. "Find out who spread that rumor."

LINEBREAK

Elia was a thin-faced freshman girl in the gym. "I heard from Podrick that Joffrey tried to run her over with his car, and when he missed and got out she knocked him down and jumped on his arm."

Podrick was a chubby freshman boy in the library. "I heard from Shireen that Arya broke his arm with an umbrella because he tried to mug her brother."

Shireen, Joffrey's cousin, lacked his beauty with a square jaw and big ears. She was yet another freshman that Sansa found in the bathroom. "I heard that Joffrey cut her brother's face with a knife, so she attacked and broke his arm, but he tried to stab her so her dog defended her."

"And you heard that from..." Sansa replied, trying to get her to spill. It seemed like the rumor mostly spread with the freshmen, but other students were hearing it too.

"A girl in my class. Lyanna."

LINEBREAK

Arya did not spread the rumor. Neither did Lyanna, the first person Arya referred to as a friend in that school. It was a newer friend, some kid named Edric. The three were on the turf at the end of the day, to Sansa's convenience. She marched up to them. "Arya."

Arya didn't even look up. "A vlog on the town, maybe. Or since it's fall and I missed some time we can go pumpkin picking and carving."

"Are you even listening to me?"

Apparently not. "Ugliest pumpkin wins," Arya replied smoothly.

Sansa gave up on formality and bent down, shaking Arya's shoulders. "Why did your rat friends spread that rumor about you breaking Joffrey's arm."

"Have you looked at your friends?" Edric snapped.

"And we know he's faking it," Lyanna continued. "If he wanted to stop the rumors-that are true, by the way-that he went at two kids with a knife because one annoyed him, he can just take the cast off."

Sansa let go and backed up a bit. The two stared up at her, Edric looking annoyed, Lyanna looking disgusted. Arya would've ignored her on the train ride, and she figured she should tell Joffrey. Sansa took her bag and ran back to the parking lot, ignoring the groups of teenagers around her.

LINEBREAK

"I'm fine Robb, my train is just late," Sansa lied over the phone. She, Joffrey, and Margaery were in a park by Margaery's house. "Don't get fussy, I'll be home soon."

"Are you sure?" Robb's voice crackled a little. "Because Arya just got home, and she said the train works fine."

Crap. Stupid Arya. "I'm sure. See you in a bit, I bet." Sansa hung up and turned to Joffrey to ask how long they wanted to stay, but her words died when she saw him taking the sling off. He shrugged it off slowly but surely, moving his bandaged arm to stretch the muscles. She could tell it was just a bandage, nothing more. "She didn't break your arm."

"Nah," Joffrey replied.

"Why didn't you tell me?" _Or my family, or yours_, she thought.

"If he kept it in a sling people would give him sympathy," Margaery replied. "And if people did find out what happened it would make Arya look bad, though that part didn't work as well as he hoped."

"That rumor's making me look worse," Joffrey nearly whined.

"You could take the cast off," Sansa suggested.

"Well, not now. People think I'm a dick that got my ass kicked by a little girl, and if people find out I'm pretending but actually did confront your sister I'll look even worse." Joffrey looked at Sansa as though she was stupid.

"Keep the cast. Rumors last a short time, but lies last a while," Margaery suggested. "The only people who know are us and Joffrey's family. In a month, when you take it off, people will forget." Joffrey nodded then gave Sansa a look, almost saying that THIS was a good idea, not the honorable thing.

"I'm not really feeling hanging out. I forgot I have to help my mom out with stuff," Sansa lied. The two shrugged and pointed out a nearby train station, which thankfully brought her close to home. As she said goodbye and walked to the station, Sansa wondered why Margaery knew about this before she did, why Joffrey's parents didn't mention anything, and how Lyanna was able to figure it out.

LINEBREAK

Rumors, as it turned out, evolved into reputations. Joffrey was once known as a bad boy, but was now known as a shallow bullying dick. Arya was suddenly a school wide hero, known as the person that stuck up to Joffrey and whooped his ass, one way or another. Her little channel saw the fruits of this reputation too- a couple days later Arya ran down for breakfast shouting that she now had a thousand subscribers.

Later that same day Sansa decided to accompany Theon to a mechanic to see why the Sea Bitch was making a demonic screeching noise whenever he accelerated. As he talked about his ratty car to a mechanic with more head on his chest than his head, she sat outside in a plastic folding chair and drank her smoothie.

"You don't look like the kind of person that comes here often," a familiar voice said. Sansa turned to see Lyanna leaning against the wall. "Guess you're with that guy with the Jeep."

"How did you figure out Joffrey faked the broken arm?" Sansa asked. Lyanna narrowed her eyes, as though she was trying to decide whether or not to tell her, before walking over to the plastic chair next to Sansa's.

"Arya told me what happened that day. How he cut Rickon's face for smacking at his legs, how he went at her for hitting him with a stick. He used the arm that's in a cast to hold the knife, so it wasn't the stick. And dog bites can break bones, but if his arm was broken he wouldn't have taken it out of the cast to fix his hair." Sansa stared. "Your boyfriend's not that smart. That girl Margaery does all the thinking for him. The first day with the cast when he fixed his hair, he was in the nurse's room alone. I saw through a crack in the door."

Sansa's mouth felt dry despite the smoothie. "How did you know Margaery knew first?"

"I didn't until now." Lyanna smirked. "One thing that does confuse me is why did Joffrey tell her and not you?"

Her third question was answered, but the first one still burned. She was never so happy to see Theon approach her.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry about the big ass break between chapters. Last weekend I was really drained from outside stuff, and then I had a project thingy I started working on, and this upcoming weekend I'll be swamped with shit so hopefully by Thursday I can get Chapter 9 (start of November) out.**

**I also got a couple reviews by a guest reviewer saying they were confused with some of the pacing and when everything takes place. And they're right! It might take a bit of time, but I want to do extra edits (adding more info on characters, making time and date openers, maybe fixing the Joffattack trilogy chapters). It'll be slow progress because of everything else right now, but if anything more reviews are always welcome.  
**  
Chapter 8- In which Arya seeks The Great Pumpkin

Edric

Arya's older brother had a pretty big van to fit almost everyone needed for her vlog. He, Lyanna, and Arya got the back with Bran, while Robb drove and Jon called shotgun. The only people missing were Rickon and Theon; both decided to stay home so they wouldn't be crushed there and back.

"What are we looking for?" Arya asked, mostly for the camera.

"The biggest pumpkins known to man," Bran replied. "One the size of a small child."

"I don't know if we can find one that big, but this place has a ton that are around twenty pounds," Jon said. "Well, maybe the size of a small child. I don't know."

"The Great Pumpkin," Edric said in an almost dreamy voice. The two girls giggled.

"The Great-you know what, sure," Arya snickered. "We'll get the biggest pumpkins in the state."

The pumpkins in question were in a small farm about an hour upstate that had multiple fruit and vegetable patches for picking. A pumpkin picking and carving video would be fun for Arya, who had to take an unwanted vacation for a couple weeks because of everything with Joffrey. She could make a cool video and hopefully take her mind off it.

The farm slowly came into view, a massive field of bushes and trees. Pumpkins were advertised near the front. "Have fun," Bran called as everyone got put and helped his wheelchair down.

"What're you gonna do for the next hour?" Arya asked.

"Get a bunch of pie and shit, obviously," Bran called, already moving away. Arya laughed a bit and started walking to the pumpkins.

The patch was huge, but the pumpkins seemed even bigger. They were given a wagon to tow the pumpkins back but at that moment Edric wasn't sure if they would all fit. Arya walked a little deeper, then suddenly announced, "I found The Great Pumpkin!" The pumpkin she pointed at was massive, even for the patch, and Robb grunted as he hauled it inside the cart. It was surprisingly clean looking for a pumpkin that was sitting on the floor all day. Arya beamed. "Now two more around the same size."

Everyone groaned.

LINEBREAK

The three they chose were massive, each the size and weight of a toddler. They rolled and rattled in the trunk as Robb drove home, complaining about how he had to drag the three back.

"Thanks for helping me," he said sarcastically to Jon, who had begun to dig into one of the cookies Bran got while they drove back.

"No problem," Jon said cheerily.

Edric, Arya, and Lyanna carried the pumpkins inside slowly once they reached the house. Edric waddles awkwardly as he carried the massive fruit in his arms. It felt much heavier than twenty pounds. The two girls managed to move a little faster as they went inside, and Edric hustled in as quickly as possible. There were times that he wished he was actually athletic, and now was one of them.

Everything was set up at home, courtesy of Theon: cardboard boxes were placed like booths so they couldn't see what the others were carving, large carving knives rested on a wad of paper towels, and three large bowls lay in front to catch any guts. "We can do mini interviews with our respective carvers before beginning," Arya announced. "I think Theon and I can go first, then Lyanna and Jon, and then Edric and Robb."

Everyone agreed to that, and while the first and then the second group went to discuss what they were going to carve Edric looked up some pumpkin carvings online. He bet neither of the girls thought of that. Finally, it was his turn. Robb awkwardly climbed under the table to get to the middle booth, and a moment later Edric joined him.

"What do you want to try Edric?"

"I saw this haunted castle in a half circle thing," Edric answered, theatrically staring at the camera. "We could do that. I bet they're just gonna stick with jack-o'-lanterns."

"Cool, cool. Did Arya say what happens to the losers?"

"Well, the best pumpkin will win, and the worst pumpkin gets the A for effort prize, but the middle one has to eat the raw guts."

Robb nodded to himself. "Okay. We can do this."

LINEBREAK

"Ready?" Rickon called from behind the camera. Robb was poised with the knife, ready to begin. "Set?" Edric straightened his back and tried to look over the cardboard walls, though they were too tall. "Go!"

Robb immediately got to work, stabbing the top of the pumpkin in an awkward attempt to cut around the stem. The second he got it out Edric stuck his entire hand inside to grab the slimy seeds and guts. "It's really cold and slimy," he whined.

"You reached the insides?" Arya asked. "Theon, faster!"

Carving was even harder. The castle required a lot of precise details, which Robb wasn't very good at. To his left Jon was grumbling under his breath. To his right Arya and Theon were giggling. Edric had no idea what was going on with them.

As hard as carving the castle was, making the half circle around it was even harder. In the end part of the side collapsed when Robb got too close, leaving only some ruins and empty space. "Done," Robb called glumly.

"Same here," Theon added. "What about you guys?"

"Almost...yep. We're done," Lyanna said.

With some effort they managed to remove the cardboard barriers. Edric and Robb decided to show theirs first. The room was half filled with snickers and half filled with genuine compliments.

"Okay, if you didn't bite off more than you could chew you would've won easily," Arya mused. "Huh. Learn something new everyday."

Next was Lyanna and Jon. They presented a scary jack-o'-lantern with uneven, square shaped teeth. Awkward cuts and lines were everywhere. "Eh," Lyanna said with a shrug.

"Eh," everyone agreed.

Finally, it was Arya and Theon's turn. Giggling, they turned the pumpkin around. "Behold!" Arya hollered as they revealed...the tiniest little ":D" face Edric ever saw. It was absolutely ridiculous and pathetic.

"That's actually kinda cute," he commented.

"That's actually kinda creepy," Rickon said. "This wins, the half castle is the A for effort winner, and the scary face is the loser. Now. Eat the guts."

Jon and Lyanna looked at each other in disgust.

"Eat the guts!" Rickon chanted, with Bran joining in from the other room. Arya went to take the camera from him and by the time she turned back both had eaten a small piece.

"Not bad?" Edric asked. Lyanna swallowed, smacked her lips a couple times, and took another piece.

"Not bad."

LINEBREAK

"So Joffrey's faking the broken arm, and his family and Margaery and now Sansa knows, and Lyanna and Arya and I know, but Sansa only knows that Lyanna knows." Edric wiped some pumpkin off the table. "Confusing."

"Very," Arya mumbled. "I don't think his dad knows though. If he did, he would've told my dad already. But I think I'll let it blow over."

"Why?"

"Why," she half laughed to herself. "Lyanna's right, Joffrey's an idiot. Margaery can't tell him what to do with it forever. Eventually he'll either forget he's wearing it or decide to wait too long before taking the cast off. And even if everyone in my family thinks I broke his arm, they also know it all happened in self defense." Except Sansa, of course. But Edric figured she didn't need to mention that.

"I bet Joffrey's cheating with Margaery," Lyanna announced from the other side of the table as she fiddled with the camera. "They seem closer than Joffrey and Sansa do. I definitely know Margaery's brother and Joffrey's uncle are low-key together, so they have a reason for hanging out together."

"Or they're friends, like us," Edric said. The girls snickered.

"You both have points, but I'm sticking with Lyanna on this. Margaery's kinda slimy. She covers it by being pretty and acting nice." Arya rested her chin in her hand. "My brothers mentioned Renly is throwing another massive party, which Loras is going to of course. And that means Margaery is going, and since this is Joffrey's fun uncle he might go too."

"I can snoop for five bucks," Lyanna said.

Edric was lost in thought. He knew if Joffrey was pulling something and Arya found out, she would want Sansa to know. As mad as she was, she wouldn't want her sister to unknowingly stay with a cheater. "What if you do see something?"

Arya tapped her finger on her cheek. "If you see anything and get a good picture, I'll give you ten."

"Deal." The three shook hands across the table.


	9. Chapter 9

**I've taken a week long break from writing, which sucks. To put into perspective: this fic is going to cover four years. At this rate it'll take me four years to finish it, especially since I have an upcoming program where I have really intensive classes all day for ten days straight. Lyanna was another tricky chapter, but nevertheless one I enjoyed. These breaks from Arya's narrative are also really good for me, because as an aspiring author I can practice working on story lines outside the main character's main plot.**

**And in case if anyone's curious about SAT scores (this'll make sense soon, I promise): it's a standardized test used in the US that's usually used for college admissions. It ranges from 200-800 points per group, the groups being math and reading/writing, for a max total of 1600. It actually changed from when I took it: it was three groups and had a max total of 2400 (I got a 1930). Oh, and you need to pay to take it.**

**Happy summer!**

Chapter 9- In which Lyanna gets into a sticky situation

Lyanna

This was not worth the five dollars.

Lyanna was outside Renly Baratheon's house, trying her hardest to peek inside the wood gate to see what was going on. She could see Renly, twenty years younger than Joffrey's father, laughing with Loras and a couple other people over a few cans of beer. She squinted a bit and attempted to remember the tidbits Arya told her beforehand that she once considered useless.

Renly and Loras were low-key fucking. Everyone had known for a couple years, stemming back from when consent was a little iffy on Loras' side, but now he was nineteen so no one really cared. Loras' two older brothers were there, both sharing the willowy builds and chestnut hair the younger Tyrells had. Willas was Renly's age and was the only guy Lyanna ever saw that looked good in a man bun. Garlan had a brace and needed a cane for his leg and was a top scholar in his university. According to Arya's notes on the things Sansa babbled when they were on good terms, he was due to get married in the spring.

Near the Tyrell brothers was Margaery, and next to Margaery was Joffrey, cast free. Both were whispering and looking at the fence's door. Odd. Lyanna figured if they wandered off anywhere she could try to follow.

"-but yeah, I honestly don't know if I wanna go to college next year," Joffrey drawled lazily. "I can just go into banking like my uncles or go into football like my dad did."

"Well, you need a degree for the first job and you need to be a practicing athlete for the second." Margaery twisted a piece of hair. "Lets go to the park. There's too many old people here."

Shit. Lyanna managed to duck behind a bush in time. It was a cloudy day, and she was thankful that her shadow was hidden.

The park they referred to was across the street from Renly's house. The park was smaller than Sweetsleep Park but had thicker trees and a large boulder by one side. Perfect. Lyanna scrambled onto the boulder and up into the branches of a tree, using a thin one to propel herself into the top branches. She balanced precariously in the branches, gripping on for dear life. A couple benches were arranged in a trapezoid in the middle and the older teenagers sat down, Margaery primly with her ankles crossed, Joffrey manspreading and lounging back.

"I'm going to get rid of the cast by next Monday," Joffrey said. "It itches and it doesn't make me look better. And I took my SAT last May, so I'm prepped for college. I got a 750 out of 800," he concluded proudly. Lyanna winced.

"In English or Math?"

"What?"

"It's 800 per group," Margaery continued. "Joff, that's a horrible score. I doubt you could even get into a random state college."

"Oh well. My dad could pay to get me in." Lyanna held back a yawn. This wasn't the juicy gossip Arya promised. She was probably with Edric and a couple random brothers filming something. And now Lyanna was stuck in a tree listening to Joffrey and Margaery babble. She began to zone out until Joffrey said, "I'm not really feeling my relationship with Sansa."

_That_ got Lyanna's attention.

"Oh really? Why?" Margaery sat up a little straighter, head tilted slightly to Joffrey. "Sansa's pretty and nice." From what she knew about Sansa's other friends, Lyanna knew they would start yelling at Joffrey, defending Sansa's glory to the very end. Margaery didn't sound accusative at all. She sounded intrigued. What was going on?

"She bores me," Joffrey said. "We look good together and she follows everything I tell her. When she saw I faked the broken arm and I told her not to mention it to anyone, she kept her mouth shut. When I told her to ask every single freshman if needed to find the rat that spread the rumor she did. I could tell her to do anything I want and she would. But Sansa bores me. Aside from looks and actions, she doesn't have much personality and she isn't very bright. I think I'll dump her before I graduate."

Margaery nodded slightly. "Are there any...other girls you know that look good and follows you and have a bright personality and are smart?"

"Maybe you. I'll use Sansa for a bit more, and then we can date." Lyanna furrowed her brow. Sansa didn't seem to want to be with Joffrey for anything other than romantic reasons, which confused her to no end, but Margaery seemed to have ulterior motives. "Can we go back? I think Renly mentioned some kind of vodka he was saving for the halfway point of the party."

"Sounds good. Lead the way." Joffrey walked first, and from her vantage point Lyanna could just make out a smirk on Margaery's stupid pretty face.

After a minute she moved slightly to get down. Big mistake. The one branch she relied on to get both up and down cracked and broke below her. Lyanna stared at the ground sourly. There was too big of a risk of her missing the next branch down and breaking something. Her only hope was to somehow wiggle her phone out her jacket pocket, without dropping it, and call her uncle.

She slowly let go with her right hand and moved to her pocket. Her left wobbled dangerously on the branch and she suddenly began to lose balance. Her right hand sped back to the branch again. Lyanna gritted her teeth and moved again, going slower now and gripping the branch as tightly as she could to lessen her shaking.

With all her effort, she grabbed her phone. Now to bring it back. Lyanna moved her arm back slowly, keeping in mind that it would be tricky to grab on with something in one hand. She placed the phone between her hands and scrolled to her uncle's number, clicking his name and shoving her face into her phone to properly speak to him.

After four rings Jorah picked up. "Lyanna, I'm at work right now."

"I'm stuck in a tree."

"...what?"

"I. Am stuck. In a tree. In a small park by- you know where that small park with the cannon is, near the Verrazano bridge? I'm stuck in a really large one that still has its leaves. There's a branch by the trunk too."

"I'm a bit far but I think I can make it to you," Jorah replied. _Thank god_. "So, ah, why'd you get stuck in a tree?" Crap

"Can I tell you later?"

LINEBREAK

"-And after Joffrey said he wasn't really feeling his relationship anymore Margaery basically said he should dump Sansa for her, and he agreed. I wish I could've filmed it but my phone was in an awkward spot, and I guess if I moved the branch would've fallen and alerted them."

"Hm." Jorah's eyes were glued on the road as he drove. He ended up having to catch her as she dropped down. "I don't know much about this type of drama, but I do know enough to tell you that you put yourself in a bad situation."

"Well, yeah," Lyanna began.

"I know you're young and you think you're invincible and you want to help others, but it's good sometimes to put yourself before others," Jorah interrupted. "Especially in a situation where you could've gotten hit or in trouble. As for the relationship drama, everything will blow over in a few months."

"Hm."

"This girl Arya really seems to care for her sister, even when they're fighting," he continued.

"I guess," Lyanna sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Tl;dr: oops.**

**My class ended on the fifteenth. Since then I've been working a lot, partially at my part time job, partially on a longer non-fanfiction work I'm still attempting to figure out. As a result, it's been almost a month since my last update. I'm still planning out chapters and ideas for the fic and the years it covers (I'm thinking year 1 is influenced by book 1 and Arya's fight with her sister and Joff, year 2 is influenced by books 2 and 3 and her getting closer with Gendry while distancing herself from family, year 3 is influenced by book 4 and wanting to distance herself with new people while still being ties with her family). Year 4's gonna be about change and growth and the idea of fame. But I haven't reached that yet.**

Chapter 10- In which Arya helps a veteran

Arya

The calendar in her room had that day circled in bright red marker with multiple exclamation marks around it. Somehow she had forgotten. Her uncle Benjen, who _never_ visited, was coming down for a couple days to visit them. She winced as she looked at the circled date, then pulled her phone out and started texting.

Her aunt and uncle from her mom's side, Lysa and Edmure, came over for dinner at least once a month. Her great uncle Brynden did as well. But her dad's other siblings and parents had died years before she was born and Benjen lived in Canada. Ned said when he came back from combat years before he was a little...off. Benjen rarely talked to people, rarely left his house unless he needed to work or get supplies, and rarely visited. That was why it was such a big deal that he visited, even if it was only for a couple days.

Arya quickly texted Lyanna and Edric to cancel their plans for the day, then went downstairs. Her parents were doing some last minute cleaning and Theon was reclined on the couch, watching TV. "You're uncle's coming," he called to her.

"Yeah." She grabbed a paper towel and started dusting the couch. "I know you're technically only supposed to be here for school, but you can at least help me clean."

Theon shrugged lazily. "Eh." The doorbell rung, both stared at each other for a moment, and Arya shoved the paper towel in his hands before running to the door.

Rickon got there first. He flung the door open and began jumping in excitement, freaking out the dogs. "Uncle Benjen!"

"Hello," Benjen replied in a cheery voice. He was even more serious than Ned, but as he entered his eyes were bright and he was almost grinning. Arya ran to give him a hug and the dogs started grouping around them, frantically sniffing. He somehow managed to break through the group to sit on the couch.

Her brothers and Theon gathered around, asking how everything was going and what he was doing. Everything was the same, for the most part. He worked as a driver that transported things around Canada and he told them a couple brief stories abut places he visited and his daily life. There were a few more gray patches in his beard and more wrinkles lined his face, but for the most part Benjen looked the same.

Benjen leaned back and half closed his eyes. "You know what I miss Ned?" he asked quietly.

"What?" Ned asked.

"Fishing here." Benjen opened his eyes. "It's nice fishing where I live, and I do like the quiet, but I don't like the two together. It's not too cold now, so would you like to accompany me?"

Ned looked over at the others, then back at Benjen. "Anyone want to come with us?"

LINEBREAK

Arya and Jon came with the two to a pier not that far from their house. They set up some rented fishing rods along the pier and sat and waited. And sat and waited. And sat some more. And waited a little longer. Arya could see fish skimming just below the surface of the water but they didn't bother going toward the bait. She wished she had wifi so she could pass the time.

"I think I'll get a beer," Benjen announced after some time. "Arya, do you want to come with me? I'll get you a soda."

"Sure," Arya replied, stepping away from her rod. At least she now had a distraction.

The two walked to a convenience store nearby in pursuit of their drinks. "I didn't see Sansa today," Benjen said.

"Oh, yeah. She's too busy with her stupid boyfriend. But she's been real rude recently so I don't care."

"That's unfortunate. But you two are sisters; you should be close and friendly with each other."

"We usually are. It's her stupid boyfriend's fault she's acting like a jerk. He tried attacking me a few weeks ago and Nymeria saved me, but now when I walk her she needs to wear a muzzle."

"Well, now that's not right."

The little bell on top of the door jingled as the pair entered. Arya made a beeline for the soft drinks and immediately pulled out a bottle of cherry Coke. She turned to Benjen, only to see him half stooped forward while looking at a large can of beer near the bottom of the refrigerator.

"This is a strange request," he told her. "But can you get that can for me? I can't bend down any more."

Arya bent down slowly and took the can, then handed it and her soda to him. As Benjen walked to the cashier she studied his movements, how he seemed to rely on one side a bit more, how his other foot was tilted out slightly as if to compensate for his balance. He paid and two walked outside back to Jon and her dad. She bumped Benjen's elbow with her own.

"Yes Arya?"

She opened her mouth to ask him what happened with his back, then closed it. "Never mind."

Jon waved the two over excitingly, holding up a fish the size of his hand. "Look what I caught," he beamed.

"That's a baby," Benjen said. "I'll show you how to get a _real_ fish. Just let me sit down for a bit."

LINEBREAK

He ended up catching a couple large trout-like things, which they ate for dinner. Aster dinner Arya asked Jon if he knew about Benjen's back. "Dad said he hurt it back when he was deployed," he explained as they walked Nymeria and Ghost. "He didn't say how, though."

"Did Dad ever get hurt like that?" Jon shrugged. "I know you're in college now, but did you ever think of joining the military?"

"A little, but not too much. Bran said he wanted to before his accident." He stopped and bent down to pet Nymeria's head, then gently removed the muzzle. "Even if Joffrey comes here I don't think she'll be a problem."

Arya stroked her under the chin and Nymeria's tongue stuck out to lichee her fingers. "Joffrey's a problem. How do we get rid of him?"


End file.
